What was your role?
By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
John 8:11 "She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." - KJV
The woman was caught in the act of adultery. They brought her to Jesus, ready to stone her according to the law. One can only imagine the shame and distress in her, knowing her obvious fate of death. When no one condemned her after Jesus’ rebuke and mercy, Jesus let her go free but cautioned her to sin no more. Earlier, Jesus had told a paralytic of 38 years whom He healed at the pool, not to sin again or a worse thing would happen to him (John 5:14). The point was that their stressful predicaments were caused by sins they needed to deal with.
Much as we need the support of others, and the help of God to ease our burdens, there are things that we need to do to ease our stress. Some stress is self imposed by wrong decisions and mistakes, wilful disobedience from our stubborn hearts rejecting the ways of God and the laws of the land. In this case, ask yourself what you did to bring about the stressful situations, and commit to change and mend your ways as those two were cautioned by Jesus.
When punished for wrongs, part of relieve from the resultant stress of punishment is repentance. God severally punished a rebellious Israel by bringing serious calamities, including driving them to exile. Whenever they felt the pain and repented, God would restore them and they would be relieved. Each time, the only remedy was repentance. Some stresses will go by change of our ways, rejecting wrong and doing what’s right. Find out what it could be in your part. Avoid things, people and places that lead to sin and bring stress. Commit to change.
2 Chronicles 7:13-14 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Shalom children of God.